 Sanogo playing forCharlton Athletic in 2016 | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Yaya Sanogo[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1993-01-27)27 January 1993 (age 32)[2] | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Massy, France | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)[3] | ||||||||||||||||
| Position | Striker | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2006 | Les Ulis | ||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2010 | Auxerre | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2009–2012 | Auxerre B | 31 | (15) | ||||||||||||||
| 2010–2013 | Auxerre | 21 | (11) | ||||||||||||||
| 2013–2017 | Arsenal | 11 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2015 | →Crystal Palace (loan) | 10 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | →Ajax (loan) | 3 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2015 | →Jong Ajax (loan) | 3 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2016 | →Charlton Athletic (loan) | 8 | (3) | ||||||||||||||
| 2017–2020 | Toulouse | 63 | (12) | ||||||||||||||
| 2021 | Huddersfield Town | 9 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2023–2024 | Urartu | 15 | (6) | ||||||||||||||
| 2024 | Qingdao Red Lions | 19 | (6) | ||||||||||||||
| 2025 | Amazonas | 0 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2009 | France U16 | 18 | (18) | ||||||||||||||
| 2009–2010 | France U17 | 16 | (9) | ||||||||||||||
| 2010–2011 | France U19 | 9 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
| 2013 | France U20 | 10 | (5) | ||||||||||||||
| 2011–2014 | France U21 | 8 | (5) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 08:49, 14 September 2024 (UTC) | |||||||||||||||||
Yaya Sanogo (born 27 January 1993) is a French professionalfootballer who plays as astriker.
A promising youth player, he came up at local Parisian clubCO Les Ulis before moving to Auxerre's youth academy. He made his debut forAuxerre in 2010 at the age of 16. In 2013, he was transferred to theArsenal team coached byArsène Wenger. He struggled to break into Arsenal's first team in his four seasons at the club during which time he had loan spells withCrystal Palace,Ajax, andCharlton Athletic. In 2017, he was transferred toToulouse, where he played for three seasons. He had brief stints atHuddersfield Town in 2021 andArmenian Premier League clubUrartu in2023–24, before joining Qingdao Red Lions in China in 2024.
He is a formerFrench youth international, and was a member of the side that won the2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup.
Sanogo was born inMassy, Essonne to Ivorian parents.[4] After failing to earn selection into the prestigiousClairefontaine academy, Sanogo joined another local Parisian clubCO Les Ulis, the same club that producedFrance national team'sThierry Henry.[5] He spent only a year at the club before being signed up on anaspirant (youth) contract withfirst division clubAuxerre at age 13. Sanogo quickly established himself in the club's youth system scoring 25 goals in 14 matches and also providing 17 assists in the 2006–07 edition of theChampionnat Federal des 14 ans. While playing with the under-16 team, the following season, in theChampionnat National des 16 ans, Sanogo averaged a goal a game. Alongside his positive displays domestically, Sanogo's prolific scoring on the international stage led to him being declared Auxerre's best overall prospect. He drew the interest ofPremier League clubsArsenal andTottenham Hotspur before signing his first professional contract for three years on 27 October 2009.[6][7][8]
Sanogo was not immediately promoted to the senior team and, instead, began the season playing in theChampionnat National des 18 ans with the Auxerre under-18 team. On 10 October 2009, Sanogo was promoted to the team'sChampionnat de France Amateur team making his debut in a 2–1 loss toPontivy.[9] He scored his first CFA goal two weeks later in a 3–2 defeat toRomorantin.[10] The following week, he netted again, this time with Auxerre earning a 1–0 victory overSénart-Moissy.[11] On 5 December, the youngster converted ahat trick againstViry-Châtillon in a 6–2 victory.[12] The three-goal display positioned him as the team's top scorer, despite being only 16 years of age.[12] On 24 January 2010, Auxerre managerJean Fernandez named Sanogo to the team's squad to participate in aCoupe de France match againstSedan to be played on 26 January, a day before his 17th birthday. He was assigned the number 19 shirt.[13] Sanogo made his professional debut in the match appearing as a substitute in the 108th minute. Auxerre won the match 3–0 onpenalties after the match ended 1–1 in regular time andextra time.[14] On 5 May 2010, Sanogo made his league debut appearing as a substitute in a 2–1 loss toLyon.[15]
Sanogo began the2010–11 campaign playing with the club's reserve team in the fourth division. On 18 September 2010, while playing in a league match againstMulhouse, Sanogo suffered a fracturedtibia in a 2–0 win.[16] Two days later, the injury was confirmed by the club and the player was slated to miss an estimated five months.[17]
Sanogo made his return to professional football at the start of the2011–12 season making his first appearance of the campaign in a 2–1 win overNancy in theCoupe de la Ligue.[18] On 21 September 2011, he made his first league appearance in over 17 months appearing as a substitute in a 1–1 draw withLorient.[19] Four days later, Sanogo made his first professional start in a 2–1 win overSochaux.[20] On 6 November, he scored his first professional goal, netting the opener in a 2–0 win overToulouse.[21]
On 1 July 2013, it was confirmed that Sanogo had signed a long-term contract atArsenal of thePremier League.[22] On 5 July, Arsenal announced on its official Twitter account that Sanogo would be taking the number 22 for the2013–14 season.[23][non-primary source needed] The number had been used previously byFrancis Coquelin, who was loaned out toSC Freiburg for the season.[24]
On 24 August, Sanogo made his competitive debut for Arsenal againstFulham atCraven Cottage in which he came on in the 81st minute forLukas Podolski as theGunners went on to win the match 3–1.[25]
Sanogo picked up a back injury during international duty with the France U21 side in mid-September and was ruled out for several weeks.[26] Despite not playing for Arsenal since picking up the injury, Sanogo was nominated for theGolden Boy Award 2013.[27]
On 16 February 2014, he made his first start for Arsenal in a 2–1FA Cup win againstLiverpool. His performance was praised by club managerArsène Wenger who showed his delight and appraised Sanogo's performance as "excellent."[28] On 20 February, Sanogo made hisUEFA Champions League debut in theround-of-16 home leg againstBayern Munich.[29] On 12 April, he played 120 minutes as Arsenal beatWigan Athletic onpenalties in the FA Cup semi-final atWembley Stadium.[30] On 17 May, Sanogo came on as a substitute for German internationalLukas Podolski in the2014 FA Cup Final againstHull City as Arsenal won the trophy for the first time since 2005.[31]
During pre-season, Sanogo scored four goals in Arsenal's 5–1 win overBenfica in theEmirates Cup on 2 August 2014.[32] On 10 August, he started as Arsenal's lone striker in the2014 FA Community Shield, againstManchester City; he was replaced byOlivier Giroud at half time in the 3–0 win atWembley Stadium.[33] On 26 November, he scored his only competitive goal for Arsenal, opening a 2–0 home win overBorussia Dortmund in the second minute of the game. The result put Arsenal into the knockout stage with a game left to play.[34]
Sanogo was loaned to fellow Premier League clubCrystal Palace on 13 January 2015, for the rest of the season. He was the first signing for them byAlan Pardew, who promised him more playing time.[35] Four days later, he started in a 3–2 away win atBurnley.[36] Sanogo scored his first goal for the club on 24 January as they beatSouthampton by the same score away in the FA Cupfourth round.[37]
On 17 July 2015, Sanogo completed a year-long loan switch toEredivisie clubAjax.[38] Sanogo made his professional debut for Ajax in the2015–16 UEFA Champions League third qualifying round away match againstSK Rapid Wien on 29 July 2015 which ended in a 2–2 draw.[39] He made his regular season debut in the season opener on 9 August 2015 againstAZ which ended in a 3–0 away win. He scored his first goals for Ajax in afriendly match on 10 August 2015 againstUmm Salal SC fromQatar.[40] The match ended in a 6–1 win for Ajax, with Sanogo scoring ahat-trick with goals in the 6th, 17th and 35th minutes of the match.[41] Despite this hat trick in a pre-season friendly, he received the rather unflattering nickname Yaya Sanogoal from the Ajax fans.[42]
On 1 February 2016, Sanago signed withChampionship clubCharlton Athletic on loan until the end of the season.[43] He scored his only goals for Charlton in the form of a hat-trick in a 3–4 loss againstReading atThe Valley on 27 February.[44]
On 7 July 2017, following his release from Arsenal, Sanogo returned to France to joinLigue 1 sideToulouse on a three-year deal.[45] In his first season, he scored six goals, including two late strikes in a 2–2 home draw withRC Strasbourg on 17 March.[46] On 23 May, he netted in a 3–0 playoff final win atAjaccio as his club stayed up.[47]
On 7 July 2020, Sanogo was released by Toulouse. He achieved 16 goals in 70 competitive games, second toMax Gradel for the club over the three seasons.[48]
On 24 February 2021, Sanogo joined EnglishChampionship sideHuddersfield Town on a deal until the end of the2020–21 season.[49] On 11 May 2021, it was confirmed that his contract would not be extended, and he departed the Terriers after nine appearances.[50]
As of June 2022, he was still actively searching for a new club.[51]
On 27 January 2023,Armenian Premier League clubUrartu announced the signing of Sanogo.[52] He scored twice on his debut for the club on 27 May, a 3–2 defeat againstAlashkert.[53]
On 26 January 2024, Urartu announced that Sanogo had left the club by mutual agreement.[54]
On 5 March 2024,China League One clubQingdao Red Lions announced the signing of Sanogo. He left the club on 1 January 2025.[55]
On 21 April 2025, Amazonas FC announced the signing of Sanogo. He left the club on 22 July 2025.
Born in France, Sanogo is of Ivorian descent.[56] Sanogo has earned caps with theunder-16 andunder-17 teams ofFrance. With the under-16s, Sanogo was installed as first-choice striker and scored a remarkable 18 goals in 18 games. Sanogo's notable goals during the season include a brace againstUruguay in theTournoi du Val-de-Marne, ahat-trick againstAustralia and a brace againstMali in theTournio de Montaigu, and a goal againstGermany in a match that was played at theOlympic Stadium in Berlin.[57][58][59][60] At the 2009 Aegean Cup, Sanogo scored a tournament-leading five goals. He scored a hat trick againstBelgium in a group stage match and also scored the game-winning goal in the final againstNorway, which France won 2–1.[61][62]
Due to the six-month suspension of international teammatePaul Pogba, Sanogo was named captain of the under-17 team bycoach Guy Ferrier and continued his spectacular form scoring a brace againstBelgium in theToto Cup in Austria.[63] He later relinquished the captaincy in the new year giving it toLilledefender Jérémy Obin. In qualification for the2010 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship, Sanogo scored goals againstSlovenia andEstonia, earning a brace against the latter to help the team qualify for the Elite Round portion of qualifying.[64][65] Due to suffering a broken forearm while training with Auxerre, Sanogo missed the Elite Round portion, though France still qualified for the UEFA-sanction tournament without him. In the competition, Sanogo went scoreless in the first two group stage matches. In the final group stage match againstSwitzerland, he scored a brace in a span of four minutes in a 3–1 victory.[66] The positive result inserted France into the semi-finals, where the team was defeated byEngland.[67]
Sanogo bypassed theunder-18 team and earned his first call up to theunder-19 team in August 2010 to play in the Sendai Cup. In the tournament, Sanogo played in all three matches and, in the team's final group stage match againstBrazil, scored a goal that was voted the goal of the tournament by the competition's organizing committee.[68] Sanogo, himself, described the goal as "the best goal of my career".[69] After suffering as fractured tibia domestically, he missed significant time with the team, but returned in May 2011 forElite Round qualification for the2011 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship. Sanogo appeared in all three group stage matches as France failed to qualifying for the competition finishing second in its group. Due to being an underage player during the 2010–11 season, Sanogo remained eligible to represent the under-19 team for the 2011–12 season. In his first appearance of the new campaign, he scored a goal in a 2–2 draw withEngland at the Limoges Tournament.[70]
Sanogo was a member of the team that won France's first everFIFA U-20 World Cup. In that tournament held in Turkey, he was in the starting line-up for all of France's matches and he was his country's top scorer in the tournament with a total of four goals.
| Season | Club | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Auxerre B | 2009–10[71] | Championnat de France Amateur | 17 | 9 | — | — | — | — | 17 | 9 | ||||
| 2010–11[71] | Championnat de France Amateur | 8 | 3 | — | — | — | — | 8 | 3 | |||||
| 2011–12[71] | Championnat de France Amateur | 3 | 3 | — | — | — | — | 3 | 3 | |||||
| 2012–13[71] | Championnat de France Amateur | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 3 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 31 | 15 | — | — | — | — | 31 | 15 | ||||||
| Auxerre | 2009–10[72] | Ligue 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | |||
| 2010–11[72] | Ligue 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2011–12[72] | Ligue 1 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 9 | 1 | ||||
| 2012–13[72] | Ligue 2 | 13 | 10 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 13 | 10 | ||||
| Total | 21 | 11 | 3 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 24 | 11 | ||||
| Arsenal | 2013–14[73] | Premier League | 8 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | — | 14 | 0 | |
| 2014–15[74] | Premier League | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[a] | 1 | 1[b] | 0 | 6 | 1 | |
| 2015–16[75] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | |||||
| 2016–17[76] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 11 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 1 | ||
| Crystal Palace (loan) | 2014–15[74] | Premier League | 10 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | 11 | 1 | |||
| Ajax (loan) | 2015–16[72] | Eredivisie | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 3[c] | 0 | — | 6 | 0 | ||
| Jong Ajax (loan) | 2015–16[72] | Eerste Divisie | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 3 | 0 | ||||
| Charlton Athletic (loan) | 2015–16[75] | Championship | 8 | 3 | — | — | — | — | 8 | 3 | ||||
| Toulouse | 2017–18[77] | Ligue 1 | 27 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | — | 2[d] | 1 | 33 | 9 | |
| 2018–19[77] | Ligue 1 | 21 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 23 | 3 | |||
| 2019–20[77] | Ligue 1 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 16 | 4 | |||
| Total | 63 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 72 | 16 | ||
| Huddersfield Town | 2020–21[78] | Championship | 9 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 9 | 0 | ||||
| Urartu | 2022–23 | Armenian Premier League | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 2 | 2 | |||
| 2023–24 | Armenian Premier League | 13 | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | 1[a] | 0 | 1[e] | 0 | 15 | 4 | ||
| Total | 15 | 6 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 6 | ||
| Career total | 174 | 48 | 11 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 199 | 54 | ||
Arsenal[72]
France U20[72]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
